Expensive Study Hopes To Answer Why The Deer Crossed The Road

Here’s one you don’t see every day: According to an article posted by the San Fransisco Chronicle, researchers from California will spend $300,000 to learn how deer successfully cross a road — specifically one of the most deadly stretches of freeway in the Bay Area.

According to the Chronicle, the data could be used to show where wildlife tunnels should be built under the freeway or where new deer-proof fencing should be erected to keep the animals out of danger.

Similar studies have been conducted on other Bay Area freeways, but experts say it is too soon to tell if the deer-safety measures have worked.

The Chronicle reported that researchers have already spent a weekend tranquilizing deer in the rural hills along I-280 and outfitting them with radio collars that will track their movements for six months.

The goal is to learn how the older deer have managed to survive so long near the busy freeway, Craig Stowers, state deer coordinator for Fish and Game, told the paper.